How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape Nasa's Human Spaceflight Program
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Volume 34, Number 2 Second Quarter 2017 FROM HOW 11 DEAF MEN HELPED SHAPE NASA’S THE CHIEF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM HISTORIAN By Hannah Hotovy, NASA History Division Intern t the risk of delay Aing the produc efore NASA could send humans to IN THIS ISSUE: tion of this edition B space, the Agency needed to bet of News and Notes, ter understand the effects of prolonged I’m going to make weightlessness on the human body. So, in 1 From the Chief Historian some comments here on our annual History the late 1950s, NASA and the U.S. Naval 1 How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape Program Review, which we just completed School of Aviation Medicine established NASA’s Human Spaceflight on 11 May at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory a joint research program to study these Program (JPL) in Pasadena, California. First, let me effects and recruited 11 deaf men aged 4 News from Headquarters and start with a huge thankyou to Erik Conway, 25–48 from Gallaudet College (now the Centers JPL historian, and Julie Cooper, JPL archi Gallaudet University). Today, these men vist, for their outstanding work organizing the are known to history as the “Gallaudet 15 Other Aerospace History News 2017 Program Review. Erik and Julie, working Eleven,” and their names are listed below: 18 Recent Publications closely with our own Nadine Andreassen here Upcoming Meetings at Headquarters, really took the ball and ran Harold Domich David Myers 21 with it. The facilities, the schedule, the “extra Robert Greenmun Donald Peterson 22 The 1970 Total Solar Eclipse curricular” activities, and all other aspects of Barron Gulak Raymond Piper NASA and Art: A Collaboration the meeting were handled smoothly and per Raymond Harper Alvin Steele 24 Colored with History fectly. They even ordered cool, overcast weather Jerald Jordan John Zakutney for the days we spent in meetings indoors and Harry Larson 27 Image in NASA History perfect weather for the day when we spent some time outside looking at the historical All but one had become deaf early in their treasures of JPL and exploring the California lives due to spinal meningitis, which damaged the vestibular systems of their Institute of Technology (Caltech). We owe a inner ear in a way that made them “immune” to motion sickness. Throughout a really big thankyou to Erik, Julie, and Nadine decade of various experiments, researchers measured the volunteers’ nonreaction for making this a smoothrunning and enjoy to motion sickness on both a physiological and psychological level, relying on able event that allowed us to focus on the key the 11 men to report in detail their sensations and changes in perception. These issues before NASA’s history program. experiments helped to improve humanity’s understanding of how the body’s There were a lot of issues for us to discuss. Like continued on page 3 every government organization, we all face challenges in trying to be more efficient and effective on an evertighter budget. For those continued on next page NASA HISTORY DIVISION OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS NASA HISTORY DIVISION — News & Notes From the Chief Historian (continued) doctoral dissertation. Even if I could find a floppydisk reader, I wouldn’t be able to open the Microsoft Word files because Word 1.0 has security vulnerabilities and current versions of the program won’t open the old version. (Good thing I made a PDF copy and have resaved it in the newer versions of the program every few years.) The second issue with digitization is whether it is prudent to throw away the originals. This is a subject of debate in the archival community and outside my area of expertise. But I am mindful that there are some paper records in our collections that have an intrinsic value beyond the information on the page. It is one thing to view an image of meeting notes jotted down by legendary leaders of our organization; Attendees pose in front of a model of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover during the annual History Program Review at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Photo credit: NASA it is another to hold their notebooks in your hands. JPL–Caltech) My point here is that implementing the smart strategy for NASA facilities involves costs not normally con of us in the history and archival business, those pres sidered inside the bureaucratic stovepipes where those sures play out in some interesting ways. For example, decisions are made. One of the many tasks we faced in nearly everyone at the meeting was facing the efforts our Program Review was how to break through those of NASA’s facility managers to demolish outdated stovepipes to make sure that solving one Agency prob buildings that are expensive to maintain. While this lem doesn’t cause another. This is a challenge all of us is a smart strategic move for the Agency in terms of in government face as we try to be the best possible reducing spending on buildings, most of the archival stewards of our tax dollars. programs across NASA rely on old, underused build ings to store our archival collections and other items. Throughout the summer, we will be working on this Moving out of those facilities involves a cost, as well issue (and many others that came up in the Program as the inevitable demand for a dramatic reduction in Review) as we also prepare to mark some major the size of the archival collection when it moves into upcoming anniversaries. Upon us as the summer ends another facility. The expectation is that archivists will will be the 40th anniversary of the launch of the two simply digitize all of that paper and then throw it Voyager probes, followed quickly by the 60th anniver away. However, that expectation ignores a couple of sary of the start of the Space Age in 1957 and early important realities. First, digitization is neither quick 1958. The 60th anniversary of the creation of NASA nor cheap. Doing it right is hugely expensive (espe follows next fall and nearly overlaps the 50th anni cially when dealing with the types of old paper docu versaries of the crewed flights in the Apollo program. ments found in archival collections across the Agency). These are exciting times for NASA history. Digitization also comes with an eternal maintenance cost. Digital records can degrade over time and need Enjoy the ride and Godspeed, longterm care. More importantly, as digital formats, software, and security rules change over time, the digital collection needs continuing updates to make sure it remains accessible. A perfect example of this William P. Barry problem is the pile of floppy disks that hold my 1996 Chief Historian 2 Volume 34, Number 2 Second Quarter 2017 How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program (continued) Left: Study participants chat in the zero-g aircraft that flew out of Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. (Photo credit: U.S. Navy/Gallaudet University collection) Right: Study participant Harry Larson stands in a 20-foot slow-rotation room. Experiments like these helped NASA understand the effects of gravitational changes on the human body. (Photo credit: Gallaudet University Archives/Harry Larson collection) sensory systems work when the usual gravitational Gulak later remarked about such experiments: “In cues from the inner ear are not available (as is the case retrospect, yes, it was scary…but at the same time we of these young men and in spaceflight). “We were were young and adventurous.” different in a way they needed,” said Harry Larson, one of the volunteer test subjects. Based on their findings from a decade’s worth of experimentation, researchers gained insight into the The experiments tested the subjects’ balance and phys body’s sensory systems and their responses to foreign iological adaptations in a diverse range of environ gravitational environments. Through their endurance ments. One test saw four subjects spend 12 straight and dedication, the Gallaudet Eleven made substan days inside a 20foot slowrotation room, which tial contributions to the understanding of motion remained in a constant motion of 10 revolutions per sickness and adaptation to spaceflight. minute. In another scenario, subjects participated in a series of zerog flights in the notorious “Vomit On 11 April 2017, our Chief Historian, Bill Barry, Comet” aircraft to help researchers understand con had the honor of representing NASA at the open nections between body orientation and gravitational ing of Gallaudet University’s museum exhibit “Deaf cues. Another experiment, conducted in a ferry off the Difference + Space Survival.” Curated by Gallaudet coast of Nova Scotia, tested the subjects’ reactions to student Maggie Kopp, the exhibit highlights the rela the choppy seas. While the test subjects played cards tively unknown contributions to the study of motion and enjoyed one another’s company, the researchers sickness made by these 11 university alums for a themselves were so overcome with sea sickness that decade, from 1958 to 1968. Present were 3 of the 11 the experiment had to be canceled. The Gallaudet test former study participants: Harry O. Larson, class of subjects reported no adverse physical effects and, in 1961; Barron Gulak, class of ’62; and David O. Myers, fact, enjoyed the experience. Test participant Barron class of ’61. 3 NASA HISTORY DIVISION — News & Notes “Deaf Difference + Space Survival” is currently on display at Gallaudet University’s Jordan Student Academic Center, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. For more information, visit https://www. gallaudet.edu/museum/exhibits/ deaf-difference--space-survival-exhibit. Pictured is the exhibit’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at Gallaudet University Museum.